Airlines gave Wall Street air under their wings as travel shares rose

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.1 percent, the broad S&P 500 index rose 0.3 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 0.5 percent.

The rising price of North Sea oil (Brent), which reached $104 per barrel, continued to weigh on Wall Street.

Despite oil's impact on jet fuel costs, strong reports of sharply increased demand came from Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, with their shares rising 6.6 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively.

They also lifted industry peers United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, which rose 3.2 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.

Travel site Expedia and booking site Booking also saw their shares rise, up 4.2 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively.